A Russian drone loaded with explosives struck an apartment building in Romania on Friday morning, injuring two people, the Romanian government said, as Moscow's forces attacked a nearby Ukrainian port.
The strike was quickly condemned by the European Union and NATO, with US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker calling it a “reckless incursion.”
“We will defend every square inch of NATO territory” he said the.
Meanwhile, Bucharest is urging allies to contribute to its anti-drone defense, exploiting growing concerns that Russia's war in Ukraine could extend deeper into the continent.
The drone hit the roof of a building in Galati, near the border with Ukraine, a spokesperson for the Romanian Defense Ministry told CNN affiliate Antena 3 CNN.
“This drone entered the national airspace at 1:54 a.m. and headed towards the eastern area of the city of Galati, but we lost it from the radars south of Galati,” said Colonel Cristian Popovici.
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Toiu said in a post on she had “confirmation from the Ministry of National Defense that the drone which crashed into a residential building in Galati was of Russian origin”.
Col. Martin O'Donnell, a spokesman for NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, confirmed to CNN that the drone was Russian.
The roof of the building was visibly charred, video footage showed, as response teams and investigators inspected the impact site Friday morning. The Romanian military said there was “no possibility” of shooting down the drone, but stressed that “the situation is under control.”
“We are not facing an attack on Romania, we are facing the effects of a conflict happening right next to our border,” said Joint Forces Command deputy commander Brigadier General Gheorghe Maxim.
A senior NATO military official told CNN that NATO detected and tracked the Russian drone as it crossed Romania, but it entered Romanian airspace just minutes before hitting the Galati building.
“To put this in context, you're talking about something moving at almost 200 km/h over a populated area less than 15 km from the border,” the official said. “Nevertheless, we are evaluating what more can be done now to optimize Romania and NATO’s sensor and fire network to safely neutralize such threats.”
The official added that NATO was working with Romania to place its MEROPS anti-drone system under NATO command and control, and said “Russia's continued recklessness” demanded that allies continue to identify additional defense forces and capabilities for the alliance's Eastern Sentry mission.
NATO flew an E-3A airborne early warning aircraft on Friday to increase its air domain awareness, the official said.
Galati lies on the border of Ukraine, in the far southeast of Romania. Just across the border is Izmail, home to Ukraine's largest port on the Danube and a frequent target of Russian attacks.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said the incident “proved once again that Russian aggression poses a real threat to the Black Sea region and the whole of Europe.”
Speaking to Reuters from Galati, Stephen Evelyn, a U.S. national who now lives there, called the episode “another provocation by the Russians” and that “NATO needs to do something about this.”
Around the same time the drone crashed into Galati's apartment, Ukrainian authorities said the Izmail port area was attacked by Russian drones.
Romanian radars detected drones that were in Romanian airspace, according to the ministry's statement. Two F-16 aircraft were deployed and pilots were authorized to engage targets for the duration of the alert.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is aware of the drone incident in Romania,” Russia's official TASS news agency reported. Putin later told a news conference that “no one can say 'where the drone came from' until an examination of the plane is carried out.”
Romania, a former part of the Communist Eastern Bloc, is a member of both NATO and the European Union.
Members of NATO – the transatlantic defense pact that is based on the principle that an attack on one is an attack on all – increasingly find themselves confronted with Russian drones and missiles entering their airspace or descending on their territory, exacerbating tensions with Moscow.
Toiu said the Foreign Ministry had summoned the Russian ambassador to Bucharest and that Russia's action “represents a serious and irresponsible escalation.” Later Friday, Romanian President Nicusor Dan declared a Russian consul in the southeastern seaside town of Constanța “persona non grata” and said the consulate would “close.”
Toiu added that Romania had asked the EU and NATO for “measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities” to the country.
“Romania will act with the greatest determination to increase international pressure on the Russian Federation with a view to achieving an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire” in the war between Ukraine and Russia, the statement said.
NATO and the EU said Moscow had once again crossed a line.
Alliance spokeswoman Allison Hart said its secretary general was in contact with Romanian authorities following the incident.
“We condemn Russia’s recklessness and NATO will continue to strengthen its defenses against all threats, including drones,” Hart said.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said he is preparing sanctions against Moscow and adds that “Russia's war of aggression has crossed a new line.”
European countries were quick to condemn Russia.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also summoned the Russian ambassador and condemned Russia's “irresponsible act,” telling public broadcaster France Inter that Moscow had “targeted a friendly country, a member of the EU and NATO.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident a “serious violation of NATO airspace.”
Russian drones have violated Romanian airspace 28 times since Moscow began attacking kyiv's ports across the Danube, the Romanian Defense Ministry said on Friday, according to the Reuters news agency.
In September 2025, NATO fighter jets shot down several Russian drones that violated Polish airspace during an attack on neighboring Ukraine. The military alliance denounced Moscow for its “absolutely dangerous” behavior that raised tensions to a new level.
Days after this incident, Romania condemned Moscow's “irresponsible actions” after alleging that a Russian drone violated Romanian airspace in an attack on Ukraine, prompting Bucharest to deploy fighter jets.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN's Natasha Bertrand, Kara Fox, Daria Tarasova-Markina, Stephanie Halasz and Anna Chernova contributed reporting.
